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en-usCopyright 2015 AOL, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/31/new-super-mario-bros-hits-the-board-game-circuit/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/31/new-super-mario-bros-hits-the-board-game-circuit/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/31/new-super-mario-bros-hits-the-board-game-circuit/#commentsMan, Japan gets all the best stuff! The above are two different board games (Crystal Attack and The Tower variety) based on the smash hit New Super Mario Bros. and, while they do not look entirely like the traditional board game, they certainly bring the kid in us out. With moving parts and warp pipes, we would love to import ourselves both of these, but in all honesty the price is a bit too steep.

The games are set for a March release in Japan and will cost importers $45 USD for the Crystal Attack version and $35 USD for The Tower version. The site makes no mention of shipping and handling costs, but we're sure it has to be at least $10 USD a piece.

What the hell just happened? Did we honestly pick Gears of War as the best game of 2006? No, that can't be. The plan was to throw juvenile tantrums and to violently thrash against the machine! To blind the world with an elitist badge and proclaim an innate resistance against games that are both popular and heavily marketed! It's a shooter, for Allard's sake. You shoot things. With guns.

The senseless violence is but one reason to look away from the screen in disgust. The other, as you may have concluded already, is the appalling state of the game's graphics. They make Pong look like an M.C. Escher painting being displayed in a room pumped full of hallucinogenic gas. If you can even discern your pixelated soldier from the flat environment, you'll note how you get repeatedly punished for running blindly into a hail of bullets and neglecting to take "cover." Not only is this completely unrealistic and contrary to modern warfare, it's a needless refinement to a bizarre, self-preservation concept in the genre. See, it's not even a very good shooter.

The complete lack of immersion and excitement carries over into the game's terrible online cooperative mode. Some idiot on your friends list can rudely jump into your game at any point and then proceed to get in your way at every available turn. Multiplayer deathmatch isn't any better, forcing you to work with 3 other buffoons (who can't even circle-strafe or jump) if you hope to succeed.

Add a forgettable MIDI soundtrack, poor pacing and a complete failure to emulate an action film to your considerations, and you become perfectly equipped to answer the pertinent question. Game of the year? Obviously not.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DSGame of the yearGameCubeGameOfTheYearGears of WarGearsOfWarGOTYGuitar Hero IIGuitarHeroIiNew Super Mario Bros.NewSuperMarioBros.PS2The Legend of ZeldaTheLegendOfZeldaTwilight PrincessTwilightPrincessWiiWii SportsWiiSportsXbox-360Mon, 01 Jan 2007 09:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/21/nintendo-and-cnn-moneys-best-gifts-for-gamers/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/21/nintendo-and-cnn-moneys-best-gifts-for-gamers/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/21/nintendo-and-cnn-moneys-best-gifts-for-gamers/#commentsCNN Money's Chris Morris usually has interesting input on the gaming market, but with his Ten Best Gifts for Gamers, he seems to have missed the mark.

Two titles for the DS appear on the list -- Brain Age and New Super Mario Bros. Great games? Indeed, and were this a list of suggested gifts for non-gamers or those new to the hobby, we would happily applaud. But for established gamers? Who hasn't played these games? How many of us still own them? We thought the whole idea behind gift-giving was to find something new, but maybe we've been doing it wrong all these years.

Any DS games on your personal wishlists? Or are you the type who can't stand waiting and just buys them on your own?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Brain AgeBrainAgeChris MorrisChrisMorrisCNN MoneyCnnMoneyDSgift guideGiftGuideholidayNew Super Mario Bros.NewSuperMarioBros.NintendoTue, 21 Nov 2006 15:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/27/the-ds-brings-home-a-few-golden-joysticks/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/27/the-ds-brings-home-a-few-golden-joysticks/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/27/the-ds-brings-home-a-few-golden-joysticks/#commentsWhen gamers choose, the DS wins! A few awards, at least. And oh, shall we ever covet them. At the Golden Joystick awards, wherein most winners are chosen by the gaming public, Nintendogs took home Family Game of the Year and Girl's Choice, and New Super Mario Bros. snagged Nintendo Game of the Year. Poor Mario Kart DS was the bridesmaid of the day -- nominated for several awards and winning naught but a big goose egg. Oh well. It still reigns in our hearts.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>awardDSGolden JoystickGoldenJoystickMario KartMarioKartNew Super Mario Bros.NewSuperMarioBros.NintendoNintendogsFri, 27 Oct 2006 16:15:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/12/ds-gets-some-love-from-bafta/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/12/ds-gets-some-love-from-bafta/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/12/ds-gets-some-love-from-bafta/#commentsIt's the first time the U.K.'s gaming awards have been in their own spotlight (instead of relaxing in the shadow of the film and television awards), and the Nintendo DS has snared some of the attention. We would expect nothing less.

Electroplankton and Brain Age both picked up nominations in multiple categories, and they'll be butting heads (brains?) when it comes to which game is Britain's choice for the most innovative of the year. Trauma Center got a nod as well in the simulation category. We're not sure the other nominees are even worth mentioning next to that one. Too bad there isn't a category for games that make you sweat, 'cause they're just that damned hard at times. Trauma Center has always made us idly wish for a third hand, but we love it like ice cream. Can't say we agree with everything they're doing across the pond, though -- they've got New Super Mario Bros. tagged as a children's game. Oh well. I guess we should all put it down and step away slowly.

The winners will be announced on October 5. Check back for confetti and poppers when the DS snags some awards.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>awardawardsBAFTABrain Agebrain trainingBrainAgeBrainTrainingBritainDr. KawashimaDr.KawashimaElectroplanktonMarioNew Super Mario Bros.New Super Mario BrothersNewSuperMarioBros.NewSuperMarioBrothersOctoberTrauma CenterTrauma Center: Under the KnifeTraumaCenterTraumaCenter:UnderTheKnifeUKUnited KingdomUnitedKingdomvideo gameVideoGameTue, 12 Sep 2006 16:45:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/18/japan-software-sales-chart-aug-7-13-the-ds-kicks-back/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/18/japan-software-sales-chart-aug-7-13-the-ds-kicks-back/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/18/japan-software-sales-chart-aug-7-13-the-ds-kicks-back/#commentsAnother week, another software sales chart. Let me just say, I find it insane the Nintendo DS has games selling this crazy. Honestly, what is the deal here? Does Nintendo package a hit of crack in every box or something? This week, seven out of 10 games belong to the Nintendo DS.

As you might have noticed, New Super Mario Bros. reclaimed the top spot, knocking off Gundam, which spiraled down to the eighth spot. Wow, what a drop. Gundam was the fastest one-week selling PSP game ever, but I don't think it's going to break any more records with its extreme drop in sales.

I had a DS and really liked it, but, after awhile, there weren't really any games that interested me, so I sold it. But now with all these games selling so well, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm missing out on something here.(Via PSP Advanced)

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Animal CrossingFist of the North StarGundamNew Super Mario Bros.NewSuperMarioBros.Nintendo DSSony PS2Sony PSPFri, 18 Aug 2006 18:02:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/30/new-super-mario-now-stomping-across-europe/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/30/new-super-mario-now-stomping-across-europe/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/30/new-super-mario-now-stomping-across-europe/#commentsNot content with conquering Japan and America, the newly revamped, newly released, New Super Mario Bros. now set its non-insidious sights on Europe, land of collosseums, queens and curiously leaning constructions. Nintendo of Europe has announced that the game has shipped to stores, just in time to be snatched up over the weekend. Expect Mario to hit his presumed homeland of Italy in full force, devouring mushrooms and smashing bricks, though sadly not fixing leaky plumping. If you haven't purchased the game already, check out its updated official site and catch yourself whistling along to the music.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DS LiteDS PhatDsLiteDsPhatMario BrosMarioBrosNew Super Mario Bros.NewSuperMarioBros.Platformerside-scrollerSuper MarioSuperMarioFri, 30 Jun 2006 18:05:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/28/japanese-software-chart-june-19-june-26-mario-makes-like-the/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/28/japanese-software-chart-june-19-june-26-mario-makes-like-the/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/28/japanese-software-chart-june-19-june-26-mario-makes-like-the/#commentsWell, it's finally happened. Our favorite shroom-lovin' plumber has been overthrown from his Japanese software sales throne. There's really only one force that can bring him down in the Land of Rising Sun, and indeed, Square Enix managed to take him down a peg with their new Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, released for the PS2. Five weeks as king ain't too shabby, and of course, the Brain Age series is still running strong. Software - This Week | Total Sales

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Japanese Software SalesJapaneseSoftwareSalesNew Super Mario Bros.NewSuperMarioBros.Valkyrie ProfileValkyrieProfileWed, 28 Jun 2006 22:16:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/22/nintendo-plays-numbers-game-loses/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/22/nintendo-plays-numbers-game-loses/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/22/nintendo-plays-numbers-game-loses/#commentsNintendo's most recent press release exhibits the interesting quality of simultaneously telling us something we already knew and something we didn't. The first part should be fairly obvious if you boast any familiarity with portly Italian plumbers: New Super Mario Bros. for the DS is a huge success in North America -- certainly nothing worthy of a collective gasp. Selling over 500,000 copies since its May release, the shell-smashing, block-bashing retro platforming trip has practically given Nintendo permission to nonchalantly reach into your pocket, feel around for a few seconds and make off with your wallet.

What we weren't aware of, however, is that Nintendo really should have been sticking their hand into your front shirt pocket. That's where your calculator is. Nintendo claims that after "just 35 days on store shelves," the game has had a sell-through rate of "more than 20 every minute since the game went on sale May 15."

O RLY?

Be sure to mock us if our primitive thought processes are incorrect, but let's consider for a moment that there are 24 hours in a day and 60 minutes in an hour. That's 1,440 minutes a day, and so the 35 days that New Super Mario Bros. has been on sale (even though it's been longer than that now) equates to 50,400 minutes. Divide 500,000 by that number and we get ... just under 10 copies sold per minute. Had Nintendo actually sold 20 copies per minute, they would have already hit over a million, and we're pretty sure that would warrant a press release all on its own. Dr. Kawashima is going to be so disappointed.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DS LiteDsLiteNew Super Mario Bros.NewSuperMarioBros.Nintendo DS LiteNintendoDsLiteSalesSuper MarioSuperMarioThu, 22 Jun 2006 16:55:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/22/nintendo-plays-numbers-game-loses/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/22/nintendo-plays-numbers-game-loses/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/22/nintendo-plays-numbers-game-loses/#commentsFiled under: Nintendo DS, BusinessNintendo's most recent press release exhibits the interesting quality of simultaneously telling us something we already knew and something we didn't. The first part should be fairly obvious if you boast any familiarity with portly Italian plumbers: New Super Mario Bros. for the DS is a huge success in North America -- certainly nothing worthy of a collective gasp. Selling over 500,000 copies since its May release, the shell-smashing, block-bashing retro platforming trip has practically given Nintendo permission to nonchalantly reach into your pocket, feel around for a few seconds and make off with your wallet.

What we weren't aware of, however, is that Nintendo really should have been sticking their hand into your front shirt pocket. That's where your calculator is. Nintendo claims that after "just 35 days on store shelves," the game has had a sell-through rate of "more than 20 every minute since the game went on sale May 15."

O RLY?

Be sure to mock us if our primitive thought processes are incorrect, but let's consider for a moment that there are 24 hours in a day and 60 minutes in an hour. That's 1,440 minutes a day, and so the 35 days that New Super Mario Bros. has been on sale (even though its been longer than that now) equates to 50,400 minutes. Divide 500,000 by that number and we get ... just under 10 copies sold per minute. Had Nintendo actually sold 20 copies per minute, they would have already hit over a million, and we're pretty sure that would warrant a press release all on its own. Dr. Kawashima is going to be so disappointed.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DSDS LiteDsLiteNew Super Mario Bros.NewSuperMarioBros.NintendoSalesStatisticsSuper MarioSuperMarioThu, 22 Jun 2006 16:55:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/09/may-npd-sales-plumber-popularity-soars/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/09/may-npd-sales-plumber-popularity-soars/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/09/may-npd-sales-plumber-popularity-soars/#commentsAccording to the NPD group's thorough and unusually keen sales analysis, Mario's latest block-bashing, Koopa-kicking, shell-sliding adventure was the bestselling game in the US for the merry month of May. Following closely on the portly plumber's hopping heels was Brain Age, nestled snugly in third place. It seems that New Super Mario Bros. was just the thing to wean gamers off that nasty heroine addiction.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DS LiteDsLiteNew Super Mario Bros.NewSuperMarioBros.NPDSales ChartsSalesChartsSuper MarioSuperMarioFri, 09 Jun 2006 21:20:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/02/japanese-software-chart-22-28-may-mario-madness/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/02/japanese-software-chart-22-28-may-mario-madness/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/02/japanese-software-chart-22-28-may-mario-madness/#commentsGiving his competitors a veritable butt-stomp, Mario finds himself at the very top of the Japanese software sales chart this week -- nearly 900,000 people donned their rose-colored glasses and marched out of a store with a copy of the portly plumber's retro adventure.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Animal CrossingBrain TrainingBrainTrainingJapanNew Super Mario Bros.NewSuperMarioBros.Sales chartsSalesChartsSuper MarioSuperMarioTetris DSTetrisDsFri, 02 Jun 2006 17:40:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/31/modern-society-under-attack-from-mario-bros/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/31/modern-society-under-attack-from-mario-bros/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/31/modern-society-under-attack-from-mario-bros/#commentsShortly after celebrating Mario's rampant popularity in Japan, we now learn through Joe Larson's blog, Exploding Unicorn, that the portly plumber is nothing more than an instrument of societal destruction, wrecking young minds as the worst kind of role model. Larson points out that Mario's career is dubious at best, asking "if he can jump fifteen feet in the air, why doesn't he play basketball?One can only conclude that Mario had the worst high school guidance counselor on the planet - if he graduated from high school at all."

The rogues that populate the Mushroom Kingdom are just as guilty of polluting young minds, it seems, with Shy Guy teaching kids that "the best way to treat social anxiety disorder is by jumping on it with an overweight Italian plumber.Maybe Shy Guy would fit in and make some friends if he stopped dressing like a serial killer."

Read the rest and become aware of the overalls being yanked over your eyes. And please, take it seriously.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DS LiteDsLiteLiteMarioNew Super Mario Bros.NewSuperMarioBros.PlatformingSuper Mario BrosWed, 31 May 2006 15:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/12/new-mario-lacks-newness-says-infendo/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/12/new-mario-lacks-newness-says-infendo/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/12/new-mario-lacks-newness-says-infendo/#commentsFiled under: Culture, Nintendo DS, Retro, ActionInfendo's Rollin had a
thing or two to say about New Super Mario Bros. in this morning's post: "It's not a new game, and
moreover it's not a DS game. Judging by the info and screens we have up to this point, this looks like an ankle-deep,
shallow relic of Mario's past..." Ouch!

Before Rollin is tossed to the wolves, let's consider
this: maybe he's right. Okay, rephrase that: maybe he's on to something. Why are gamers so excited about
New Mario? What does a 20-year-old concept bring to the table? Is it relevant to the DS? Worthy of a
full-priced release? What if instead, it was an unlockable mini-game featured in a Revolution Mario title? Or
better, an inexpensive download via Nintendo's Virtual Console service?

The original Super Mario
Bros. is a game I cherish, but often times I feel - as Rollin seems to imply - that Nintendo profits
off of my nostalgia. Is that a bad thing? From a business standpoint, of course not. But if we're going to criticize
other companies for churning out sequels and rehashes, we'd best lift the 'untouchable' veil from in front of
Nintendo's name and let them have it too. New Super Mario Bros. will be fun, but let's not kid ourselves, it's
not gonna shake up the state of gaming in 2006.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DSNESNew Super Mario Bros.NewSuperMarioBros.Wed, 12 Apr 2006 13:55:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/11/new-super-mario-snowball-fight/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/11/new-super-mario-snowball-fight/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/11/new-super-mario-snowball-fight/#commentsFiled under: Nintendo DS, Wireless, Action, OnlineOnNintendo.com has posted 12 titillating images of the highly anticipated New Super Mario Bros. Included
in the bunch, are some shots of several of the game's multiplayer mini-games - you may recognize them from
Super Mario 64 DS. This time around, you'll be able to enjoy them with friends.

Also spotted, is a
glimpse of one of the koopalings. Last month, we heard word that Bowser's demented offspring would stage a comeback in New Super
Mario Bros., and this image seems
to be the confirmation we were looking for. New Super Mario Bros. is currently scheduled for release on May 15
(North America) - June 30 in Europe.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DSmultiplayerNew Super Mario Bros.NewSuperMarioBros.Tue, 11 Apr 2006 19:25:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/05/new-super-mario-undelayed-out-may-15th/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/05/new-super-mario-undelayed-out-may-15th/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/05/new-super-mario-undelayed-out-may-15th/#commentsFiled under: Nintendo DS, ActionThe official website for the upcoming DS title, New Super Mario Bros., has
been updated again. No more delays this time, instead
Nintendo has managed to drop the brothers Mario on us a week earlier!

Seeing as how the DS Lite is "due in May" in North America, we used
simple logic, some grade school arithmetic, our intimate knowledge of the Gregorian calendar, and more than a little
speculation, to arrive at the possibility that the DS Lite might accompany NSMB May 15th, just days after E3!
Oh shiny DS Lite / Mario combo attack, you make us weak in the knees.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DSDS LiteDsLiteMarioNew Super Mario Bros.NewSuperMarioBros.NintendoSuper marioSuper Mario Bros.SuperMarioSuperMarioBros.Wed, 05 Apr 2006 10:57:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/03/new-super-mario-delayed-ds-lite-could-be-the-culprit/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/03/new-super-mario-delayed-ds-lite-could-be-the-culprit/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/03/new-super-mario-delayed-ds-lite-could-be-the-culprit/#commentsFiled under: Nintendo DS, Action, AdventureAccording to the official website, the North American release of New Super
Mario Bros. has been pushed back to May 21 (Sunday). The title will likely show up in stores early that week,
quite possibly, alongside the new DS Lite. Indeed, 1UP speculates that the game was delayed in order to accompany the
launch of the DS Lite in North America. It wouldn't be the first time Nintendo deployed the plumbers to help move new
(or updated) system units - and if true, it won't be the last.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DSDS LiteDsLiteNew Super Mario Bros.NewSuperMarioBros.Mon, 03 Apr 2006 13:25:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/03/09/koopalings-to-return-in-new-super-mario-bros-yoshi-on-the-side/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/03/09/koopalings-to-return-in-new-super-mario-bros-yoshi-on-the-side/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/03/09/koopalings-to-return-in-new-super-mario-bros-yoshi-on-the-side/#commentsFiled under: Nintendo DS, ActionAccording to a recent
Nintendo Power interview with Takashi Tezuka, New Super Mario Bros. for the DS will feature the
return of the beloved koopalings. This welcome addition should significantly boost the game's boss element. Tezuka also
confirmed that Bowser and Toad would make appearances. As for the green dinosaur, since the game is a throwback to the
NES Super Mario Bros., "Yoshi doesn't really fit," says Tezuka.

Tezuka also noted that
the game will be set in the Mushroom Kingdom and that there will be no boss battles in 2-player mode, no WiFi
connectivity, and no microphone functionality. Finally, when questioned about the possibility of a console-bound
Mario side scroller, Tezuka replied, "The probability is not zero, but no further comment at this
point." Then he just laughed.